Japan PM Abe to declare state of emergency as early as Tuesday - Yomiuri

[webfact]

Japan PM Abe to declare state of emergency as early as Tuesday - Yomiuri

 

FILE PHOTO: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wears a protective face mask as he attends an upper house parliamentary session, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Tokyo, Japan April 1, 2020. REUTERS/Issei Kato

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus as early as Tuesday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, as the number of infections topped 1,000 in the capital, Tokyo.

 

Abe will likely announce his plans to declare the emergency on Monday, the paper said.

 

Pressure had been mounting on the government to make the move as the pace of infections - while slow compared with harder-hit countries around the world - continues to accelerate.

 

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike indicated last week she would favour a state-of-emergency declaration as a means to help her push residents for stronger social-distancing measures.

 

Under a law revised in March to cover the coronavirus, the prime minister can declare a state of emergency if the disease poses a "grave danger" to lives and if its rapid spread could have a huge impact on the economy. The virus has already increased Japan's recession risk.

 

The move would give governors in hard-hit regions legal authority to ask people to stay home and businesses to close, but not to impose the kind of lockdowns seen in other countries. In most cases, there are no penalties for ignoring requests, although public compliance would likely increase with an emergency declaration.

 

More than 3,500 people have tested positive and 85 have died from the new coronavirus in Japan, according to public broadcaster NHK.

 

While that toll is low compared with 335,000 infections and more than 9,500 deaths in the United States, experts worry about a sudden surge that could strain the medical system and leave patients with nowhere to go.

 

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Linda Sieg; editing by Richard Pullin)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-06

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[Tug]

Personally I’m surprised they are so far behind the curve on this probably economic concerns driving the slow response that beeing said I’m sure japan once mobilized against the virus will do an exemplary job good luck be safe

[Crazy Alex]

6 minutes ago, Tug said:

Personally I’m surprised they are so far behind the curve on this probably economic concerns driving the slow response that beeing said I’m sure japan once mobilized against the virus will do an exemplary job good luck be safe

I'd say a country with so few infections, especially given their close proximity to China, has done quite well.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Crazy Alex

[Brad103]

I moved to Japan two months ago. Everything seems completely normal here, and it’s a very strange feeling seeing the rest of the world closed off while no one seems to have a care in the world here. Not sure if things will change after the state of emergency is announced. We’ve been lucky here for some reason, hope that continues. 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Brad103 said:

I moved to Japan two months ago. Everything seems completely normal here, and it’s a very strange feeling seeing the rest of the world closed off while no one seems to have a care in the world here. Not sure if things will change after the state of emergency is announced. We’ve been lucky here for some reason, hope that continues. 

 

I was there in Feb, and have had to cancel planes to be there [in Tokyo] at the moment. 

 

People were very cautious, schools have closed, all my friends there are working from home, public gatherings (parties, weddings etc are not allowed to go ahead - my friend had to cancel his wedding). The public were urged to forgo their Cherry blossom parties (a huge seasonal event) and citizens ‘urged’ to avoid nightlife activities. Some of the major tourist attractions are closed (Disney, borderlabs etc), but not all. 

 

But, department stores, restaurants and bars are still open - I’m wondering if they are quieter than usual. 

 

So things are being done in Japan, but as they are a very conformist society the strict rules and regulations have not yet been enforced - it looks like they now need to isolate with >3000 cases and 85 deaths, the progression of the virus was being controlled.

Edited April 6, 2020 by richard_smith237

[jimmjam]

Is that a childs mask he has got on?

[daiwill60]

3 hours ago, Crazy Alex said:

I'd say a country with so few infections, especially given their close proximity to China, has done quite well.

Japan has no physical border with China, as such, but just look at Vietnam which does have a physical border as a real example of what can be achieved.